


the better me

by thundersart



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Book 2: The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson), Canon Compliant, F/M, Gen, How Do I Tag, Percy Jackson Needs a Hug, Self-Esteem Issues, just some of percy and annabeth as kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:13:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26651233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thundersart/pseuds/thundersart
Summary: After all, how was he supposed to feel after seeing a good version of himself and having someone saying out loud how he was never going to reach it?
Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 62





	the better me

**Author's Note:**

> Just to be clear: this is set during Sea of Monsters, more specifically, right after Percy and Annabeth escape from Circe’s spa and before Annabeth decides to hear the Sirens’ singing, during SoM's thirteen chapter.

Percy had finally found something he was really good at.

The  _ Queen Anne’s Revenge _ responded to his every command. He knew which sails to raise, which direction to steer. They plowed through the waves at what he figured was about ten knots. He even understood how fast that was. For a sailing ship, pretty darn fast.

It all felt perfect— the wind in his face, the waves breaking over the prow.

Annabeth had told him the story about how Thalia died. He now understood why she was always so nervous and angry at the same time whenever Tyson was around. And Grover’s fear was understandable as well.

They sat on the deck, watching the Hercules constellation rise in the night sky.

For a second, he almost forgot how miserable he was feeling.

Grover was in danger. Tyson was probably dead. He had more important things to worry about, but his thoughts were on Circe’s words. _See, Percy? You’ve unlocked your true self._

He still felt changed. Not just because he had a sudden desire to eat lettuce.

Percy didn’t like to think about the way he looked. He hated thinking about the first zit that had cropped up on his nose at the beginning of the school year, or the fact that his two front teeth weren’t perfectly even, or that his hair never stayed down straight. He hated that he wasn’t tall enough compared to the other guys in his class, that he wasn’t athletic like the other demigods at camp.

Then, Circe showed him the cooler Percy Jackson. He wore just the right clothes, he had a confident bright smile on his face. Straight teeth. No zits. A perfect tan. More athletic. Taller. It was him, without the flaws.

The cooler Percy Jackson didn’t get bullied. He didn’t cry himself to sleep after a nightmare. He didn’t take a shower in the mornings wondering if his step father would be found wasted on the couch or if he would have to waste his money for lunch on remedies for his hangover. That Percy had good grades, had never been expelled and certainly was good for his mother.

The scrawny, weak and with a lot of D’s on his report card Percy was really miserable. After all, how was he supposed to feel after seeing a good version of himself and having someone saying out loud how he was never going to be not even half of it?

“You’re too silent.” Annabeth said. “What’s wrong?” she asked, still looking at the stars.

‘Percy blinked. He got so lost on his own thoughts he forgot she was sitting right next to him.

“Um, nothing.”

“I know you, Seaweed Brain. What’s wrong?” she insisted.

Percy sighed. He wished Annabeth wasn’t so observant. “It’s nothing. It’s dumb.”

“Coming from you it’s not very surprising it is.” she said.

He scowled. Percy may be already used to the bickering between him and Annabeth, but, right now it didn’t help with the thoughts running through his head.

“Circe showed me what she could’ve done to me,” he confessed. He thanked all the gods he knew for being dark enough so Annabeth couldn’t see the blush on his cheeks and ears.

“Other than a guinea pig?” she finally looked at him.

“Yeah,” Percy nodded. “She showed what she had promised in the first place.”

“Oh,” Annabeth said. Percy was grateful she had understood it without the need for him to say anything else.

It was hard enough to admit that you saw the  _ cool you _ to someone else and that you were still, well,  _ you _ . Percy also didn’t want Annabeth to think any less of him. The idea of her seeing the cooler Percy Jackson and then looking back at the  _ not cool  _ Percy Jackson could be very disappointing. At least it was for him.

“Hylla showed me too,” she looked away from him. “The better me.”

Percy frowned his brow, looking at her outraged. He honestly couldn’t imagine a better version of Annabeth. Even with her torn clothes and messy ponytail, tired eyes and the look on her face as if she was calculating the best way to utterly rip you apart, she was still the most stunning girl he had ever seen.

The fact that there was anything someone thought that could be better on her confused him. What was there to improve?

“There’s nothing that could be improved on you.” the words came out before he could even think about them.

Annabeth stared at him. He watched as her muscles tensed.

His eyes widened, and he realized that maybe it didn’t sound like he meant it to. “Um, i mean, you don’t need any improvement.”

She looked away, letting out a soft sigh that wouldn’t even be noticed if Percy wasn’t so aware of her movements a couple inches away from him. “I don’t think I’d change anything about you.” she said.

Percy did his best to keep his face straight. “You wouldn’t?”

She shook her head. “Sure, you’re always bothering me, but it wouldn’t be  _ you  _ if you didn’t.”

He laughed at her statement. He knew he could be a little too much sometimes, and they always bickered about it, but knowing it didn’t bother her as much as he feared it did made something inside of him shake.

“Also, Circe is a sorceress. She showed us it to manipulate us,” she started. “You—  _ We  _ fell in her trap, that was the whole point. Don’t let her keep manipulating you with this.”

Percy thought about it for a second. It was kind of an obvious and easy way to manipulate someone. Make them believe they’ll get one thing they truly desire and fool them, make them think she’ll be able to give it to you.

Then turn them into a pet.

“Go below,” Annabeth told him at last. “You need some rest.”

Percy nodded. His eyes were getting heavy already. But when he got below and found a hammock, it took him a long time to fall asleep. He kept thinking about Annabeth’s story. He wondered, if he was in her shoes, would he have had enough courage to go on this quest, to sail straight toward the lair of another Cyclops?

Then he remembered what she told him. She fell in Circe’s trap as well, but she found out what had happened and got them both out of there. She saved them.

Percy had to be able to do this, to save Grover, bring the Golden Fleece and save the camp.

Annabeth was by his side, and with her, he knew.

They would make it through.


End file.
